387. I thought this was the best line in that article; :-)

>>> They could bring back Odalis Perez from the Kansas City Royals, since they're paying his salary anyway. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/282k7j

The headline expresses my feelings perfectly.

Are west coasters getting this tennis match live, or will you get it taped?

It's live.

Nadal has played out of his mind. It's a testament to Federer's skill and fortitude that he hasn't crumbled.

I'm even eating breakfast!

Strawberries and cream?

Cereal with milk.

That's what I had! With blueberries, blackberries, and walnuts on top.

Very polite of them to finish right before all the baseball games start.

This is an exciting time for men's tennis. The Federer-Nadal rivalry is the best they've had since Sampras-Agassi. Nadal has clearly closed the gap. One of these years, the torch will be passed from Fed to Rafa.

I'm surprised that the Angels sent their second string announcing team of Mota and Gubicza to New York.

Tomko has few fans in cyberspace

>>> Despite the emergence of an Internet fan petition requesting his release, struggling reliever Brett Tomko got somewhat of a reprieve from manager Grady Little before Saturday's game. <<<

### The Web petition can be found at www.ipetitions.com/ petition/Tomko/. ###

http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/ci_6324858

13
Someone's breeches here are going to get big.

11 It is is some awesome tennis. Federer seems like a nice guy, too.

Meanwhile, could last year more thoroughly have killed interest in the Tour de France in this Country. The high of Landis' push up the mountain followed by the drug morass has really made it hard to care.

So, my wife and I ran over to a Goodwill dropoff center yesterday, on the corner of Sepulveda and Pico. As we pulled into the parking lot, we were assaulted by "music" blasting from several giant speakers flanking a KIIS-FM booth. A couple of guys wearing Dodger jerseys were milling around the parking lot. One was wearing a Loney jersey, which struck me as odd (how many of those have they sold since is recent callup?) so I looked at his face. Well, guess what - it WAS James Loney. I looked around some more and saw a couple of Dodger-theme trucks, and then a big limo, and then one of those pitching-target booths, with giveaway t-shirts and hats (the leftover Schmidt shirts and mesh hats from recent giveaway game days). Loney was signing autographs and taking pictures with the few people who happened to pull into the lot. Seemed like a nice kid - smiling the whole time. I decided not to bother him - he didn't want to hear that even some random Goodwill donater knows he should have been up in April.

Anyway, just another weird LA moment. You never know who you're going to run into around here. Glad he had a good game.

CLAYTON KERSHAW ALERT:

He's pitching in the Futures Game on ESPN2 today starting at 1 p.m. This might be his only time on TV until 2009-10, so it is a must-see.

16
Pico and Sepulveda.
Pico And Sepulveda

Doheny....
Cahuenga....
La Brea....
Tar Pits!

La Jolla....
Sequoia....
La Brea....
Tar Pits!

You can keep Alvarado,
Santa Monica,
even Beverly Drive.

Vine may be fine,
but for mine I want to feel
alive and settle down in my

La Brea....
Tar Pits....

Where nobody's dreams come true.

Per ItD, it looks like Houlton is gone for now...

Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Gonzo, LF
Nomar, 3B
Loney, 1B
Kemp, RF
Martinez, 2B
Hendrickson, P

That subject header reminds me of the Bugs Bunny cartoon with the sad-eyed penguin, in which Bogart keeps appearing, asking for change. (I know, it's a reference to those 30s eras movies, but that was my first exposure to the line.)

And it does seem to sum things up aptly.

Btw, ToyC, if you're out there, I can't make the Futures Game today because of another engagement :-( so I'll be taping it. But you guys enjoy it! It's a nice day today at least. Let us know if you have a Live Kershaw report.

My soccer team had a 9am game today (the pain! the pain...) so I gotta rest for a bit.

So pitching today is Big Hendy and the Holding Conmpany.

20
First it was "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", then came the Looney Tunes cartoon.

The film came out in 1948.

Well, thank God. After watching the last few games, all I could think of was, "I can't wait until this lineup gets Ramon Martinez back!"

Oh well, I was all worked up over Marlon Anderson starting at DH. Twice. But the Dodgers ended up winning both of those games.

On a more positive note, Russell Martin is on pace for 105 RBI this season. Only six times in Dodger history has a Dodger catcher knocked in at least 100 RBI:

Campanella, 142 (1953)
Piazza, 124 (1997)
Piazza, 112 (1993)
Campanella, 108 (1951)
Campanella, 107 (1955)
Piazza, 105 (1996)

Campanella won the MVP in each of these three seasons, and Piazza should have won in 1996 & 1997. Not bad company to be in at all for Martin.

Here's the list of top Dodger backstop run driver-inners (Campanella & Piazza have the top 9 seasonal RBI totals):

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/2ZVf

Yeah, I just looked it up - right. I've seen the film since, of course, but couldn't place it. The cartoon was "8 Ball Bunny" and came out just 2 years later.

"Hoboken! Oooooh I'm dying!"

It does seem a bit odd, since the Dodgers are more strapped for pitching right now. I thought if they brought Martinez back that Abreu might be the one departing. S'alright, I guess.

The All-Star Break can't come soon enough.

Following up on Martin, he is also on pace for 88 runs scored. If he continues to bat third, he will have an excellent shot at scoring 90 runs, a mark that has only been achieved three times by Dodger catchers:

Piazza, 104 (1997)
Campy, 103 (1953)
Campy, 90 (1951)

In fact, the 80-run barrier has only been eclipsed eight times in Dodger catching history:

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/wpXp

Josh Towers set down the first 17 Indians hitters in order today before Josh Barfield singled.

27 Josh Towers can blame ESPN and/or me. I checked on ESPN.com, and the top headline was "Jays' Towers perfect through 5 vs. Indians". I checked on Yahoo first (didn't want to check on the TV since I was rewinding to watch Curtis Granderson's catch over the wall again) and that's when Barfield got the hit.

When I was blissfully ignorant of the game, Towers was perfect.

Speaking of Barfield, I thought the Padres made a good move in their trade with Cleveland (actually a good move for both teams) but the two principals have been pretty bad thus far this year:

Barfield: .256/.282/.338, 66 OPS+
Kouzmanoff: .228/.290/.386, 83 OPS+

Kouzmanoff has been improving since a really bad start. I don't think he's going to become a Macedonian Sean Burroughs.

29 .297/.358/.497 since May 10.

Meanwhile, our erstwhile third sacker has hit .239/.365/.577 since May 10. All that has done is earn him the title of "most disappointing" in the eyes of our GM.

Old friend Ricky Ledee sent to the minors today by the Mets. Or DFA'd I suppose. But Sandy Alomar is starting behind the dish!

that fifth set at wimbledon was really disappointing. ah well.

Although the Yankees have 10 runs through four innings, they also have one sacrifice. And it came in the fourth inning when the Yankees were already up 7-0.

At least the day is starting well with the Giants and DBacks both behind in their games.

Grady is probably giving Kent the day off, so he can rest up for Monday's party with Jay Z annd Barry.

The DBacks have been playing very poorly as of late. If you thought the Dodgers weren't getting hits with runners in scoring position, you should see the DBacks stats recently in that situation. They've been awful.

They also don't get a lot of hits WITHOUT runners in scoring position.

Although the Yankees have 10 runs through four innings, they also have one sacrifice. And it came in the fourth inning when the Yankees were already up 7-0

I guess Torre is trying to tack on as many runs as possible.

Why wouldn't they have optioned Abreu?

38
It worked. Two batters later, Alex Rodriguez hit a 3-run homer. That saved 90 feet of jogging for two guys.

We are going to really need Martinez now.

I should have gotten tickets to Futures Game.

The Reds bullpen is trying hard to get another loss.

39
It's probably a stopgap measure for today. Abreu is probably still not feeling well. The Dodgers will have four days to figure out which pitcher they want. Houlton probably wouldn't have pitched today since he had thrown a lot recently.

DBacks just tied it in the 9th, 3-3. They have a runner on first with two out.

45
Weathers is the only good pitcher in that bullpen. Batters were hitting just .201 off of him this year.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre is in my personal top 10. It should be seen more than once.

Fred C. Dobbs never says nothin he don't mean.

47
Marty, can you show me a badge?

Going to the bottom of 9th tied and it was Weathers who gave up the 2 runs in the top of the inning.

AZ Snakepit notes that no DBack player has had 3 hits in a game since June 25.

They have two guys with two hits today and they might get extra innings.

Regarding Lucille II: since when do bad Dodger hitters bat 8th...?

Al Hrabosky apparently attended the Chip Caray school of fact checking. Dave Roberts just stole his 17th base of the season in the game against St. Louis. Cardinals' announcer Hrabosky said Roberts' 17 SB were the most for the San Francisco franchise before the all-star break.

That's an absurdly low total. I checked and at the very least Billy North in 1979 (39 SB) and Brett Butler in 1990 (26 SB) had more in the first half.

Giants are down 6-0 in the 5th, and Zito just got pulled.

Extra innings in Cincy.

In 1983, Johnnie LeMaster had 27 stolen bases before the All-Star game for the Giants!

I saw Johnnie LeMaster play in my first career live MLB game, in 1983.

Yellow alert for Robinson Cano in New York.

Don Sutton does not like Angel Hernandez one bit.

The alert for Cano is canceled as I received bad intel.

We want CK! We want CK!

57
I do not blame him.

57 Let me guess, Angel Hernandez made a call that was disagreed with, and he immediately took of his mask to argue.

In a show of solidarity with Mr. Sutton with my hatred of Mr. Hernandez, I think I'll get a perm.

59
I had no idea you liked Casey Kotchman that much.

61
Do not speak ill of the man Andrew dubs the UUWU.

I predict the Dodgers will win today. Hanley Ramirez has just made an out.

Fredi Gonzalez must have seen Martinez was in the lineup and had to double check before busting up laughing.

Hu gets an RBI double.

Hu doubles! he looks different at the plate then when i saw him in the WBC.

Chin Lung Hu just doubled in the first inning for the World in the Futures game! Who? Hu!

61: First, the problem was that Hernandez just switched his strike zone halfway through the game.

Then, Hernandez starting jawing at the Nationals' rookie catcher for framing a pitch after catching up. App. Hernandez thought Flores was trying to show him up.

I predict the Dodgers will win today. Hanley Ramirez has just made an out.

And Cabrera isn't playing.

Damn, and I thought I was being fast.

Hey, what inning is Kershaw booked to start? I think I'll tivo this thing...

Hu steals third!

Anda stolen base!

Yahoo thinks Miguel Cabrera is batting. Knotty problem of baseball?

63 I have no idea what UUWU stands for.

I have been spoiled this week with a lot of Vin Scully on the homestand, but today I get the Marlins' broadcast. Their announcers aren't bad, but Rich Waltz & Tommy Hutton can't compare to Vin. At least they are mostly accurate with their facts, unlike Chip Caray.

I give up.

I think the 6th or 7th.

Stories like Carmen Morrow are why I love Vin Scully.

Hendy had a nice first inning - good start at least, for BigFoot and the Holding Company.

Chin-Lung Hu is making a liar out of Abbott & Costello

Dbacks and Reds still going in the 11th. Only Bob will know the name of the Reds pitchers and be able to spell it.

I had to look the guy up. It's Carmen Mauro.

Turns out Miguel Cabrera was in the lineup but was pinch hit for.

I'm praying it's because he was traded across the stadium. Wishful thinking, I know.

The Marlin announcers just said that Jacobs was pinch hitting for Miguel Cabrera.

82Try again. It's a much longer name than that.

It's funny how excited some fans get over bunt singles.

Martiiiiiiiiin. Martiiiiiiiiin.

Love that man.

Now get that pitch count up.

Hooray! Russell for President!

Btw, this Olsen guy seems completely hittable. I dunno how LA's pitching will tdo today but if we can't score some runs off him today, well, that's sad. And two right off the bat. Nice.

See you all later!

86.

What's not to get excited about? He got on base.

You know it's your day when the opposing pitcher is worse than Mark Hendrickson.

The game Vin referred to took place on July 28, 1950. The Dodgers lost to the Cubs 12-5 in a rain delayed game that ended at 1:21 am. But in 1950, Dodger night games in Brooklyn started at 8:30 pm.

It appears something is bothering Olsen physically.

Not quite a Knotty Problem of Baseball, but Jason Wood was in the starting lineup as the first baseman, then moved to third base once Mike Jacobs pinch hit for Cabrera in the top of the first.

Wood never played in the field at 1B, but since he was in the lineup as the 1B, does he get credit for a game played at 1B?

Andrew calls Angel Hernandez the Umpiest Ump Whoever Umped.

Pinch hitter Micah Owings had his 5th hit of the season and Chris Snyder walked, but Byrnes grounded into a DP to end the rally for the DBacks.

No, no, no. Kemp is not allowed to get hurt.

The fact that Kemp and Loney are playing means that they weren't in the package for Cabrera. :)

Pennybags McCourt works us over again. How about some padding on that base path, cheapskate?

95
Neither Wood nor Cabrera will get credit for playing the positions they were listed on the batting card. Cabrera does get credit for a game played.

Rule 10.20
When a player listed in the starting lineup is substituted for before he plays on defense, he shall not receive credit in the defensive statistics (fielding) unless he actually plays that position during the game. All such players, however, shall be credited with one game played (in batting statistics) so long as they are announced into the game or listed on the official lineup card.

The fact that Kemp and Loney are playing means that they weren't in the package for Cabrera

Was it Kent straight up...?

Maybe we don't want to lose this pitcher.
Tough to have Martinez come up with the bases juiced.

Please take a walk.

99 Maybe they can add bumpers like they do at the bowling alley for little kids!

Lucille II is welcomed back!

I'd pull Hendrickson here.

Pardon me Martinez.

You picked a fine time to return, Lucille.

100 Thanks, Bob.

Olsen's throwing in the mid 80's. He's not going to be in this game long.

The combination of Olsen on the mound and Cabrera not in the lineup is pretty much a white flag from the Marlins.

98 - what happened?

I thought Matt Kemp was impervious to injury? I'm about to go into shock here.

3.5 in for the Bison

Kemp is now out

Why did it have to be Kemp?

111
Looks like Kemp tweaked something while running to first. Doesn't look like a huge problem, but you never know.

115
Spite.

111 Looked like Kemp pulled a hammy or something running to first. He's now out of the game, replaced in RF by Ethier.

Miguel Cabrera is out (jammed shoulder) for the HR derby tomorrow night as well. Maybe Cabrera hurt his shoulder carrying his bags from the Marlins' clubhouse to the Dodgers' clubhouse.

News of interest on The Griddle up top.

DBacks lose.

120
Thank you Kenny Williams.

Olsen is out of there.

The Futures game is GameDay ready. Carrasco is PFXing upwards of 14"!

http://tinyurl.com/2pcocf

Bob, Tommy Hutton should have read your post (or the MLB rules), because he just said on the broadcast that Jason Wood would get credit for a start at 1B.

There's a winged rat sitting in between the mound and the plate, at the Futures Game. I don't understand why nobody's thought to kick it, or otherwise shoo it away.

Joba Chamberlain said a little prayer before he threw his first pitch. Sure, time to pray, but no time to kick that stupid pigeon.

Steve Phillips breaks the news...Hu promoted to AAA!

Hu just got promoted to Triple-A!

Hu singles through the right side for an RBI in his second AB.

Another hit and RBI for Hu!

125
They just changed that rule this year.

For some pitchers, there is a fine if they thorw a strike on an 0-2 pitch. Should there be a fine for a hitter who swings 3-0 too?

Or, for the more sabermetric fans, do players actually hit well on 3-0 counts?

It just seems where a batter that swings 3-0 makes an out more times than not. I know that doesn't sound right because all batters make an out more times than not.

Good for 3.5.

In 1993, Hershiser got credit for a game played at 3B when Tommy Lasorda felt that he had to give Dave Hansen more chances to break Mitch Webster's single season record for pinch hits.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN199309150.shtml

At least there won't be any complaining about lack of extra base hits today.

Let's hope Grady doesn't feel like giving Tomko another chance to build up his confidence today no matter what the score.

Kemp looks like a hammy. His legs are so powerful that he looks like a football player. But football players stay almost as warm as soccer players, where baseball players are cold almost all the time. When you go to max from cold it can be risky.

Justin Upton: not clowning around.

136 I pray Hendrickson has a quality game today for the same reason.

It would be interesting to see Matt Treanor playing catcher wearing the same kind of uniform his wife uses when she plays her sport.

141- Interesting is an interesting word choice. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Who got promoted? I swear we have developed two major league SS's and have a possible third in DeJesus. And we still have a few years of Furcal, don't we.

142
Challenging?

A gift for Bigfoot.

Come on Mark, with this lead psychology 101 says just throw strikes.

144- No need to be shy about it. If you want to see Treanor in a bikini, well, there you go. The heart wants what it wants.

141

To paraphrase Mr. Dylan:

"Here I sit so patiently, waiting to find out what price,
you have to pay to get out of going through this bad thing once."

147
Would it have advertising logos on it?

I think we only have Furcal on more year. Might be ideal to trade him next season if Hu's ready.

gameday isn't cooperating

On some channel showing Joey Chestnut he was described as the world "Chicken Wing Eating Champion (long and short form)."

I would not have guessed you had more than one division of chicken wing eating on the circuit.

I've got a bad feeling Hendy has gone his limit. He's been good, and if only he could hold onto it a few innings longer he would be a starter. And how quickly even a lead like this can melt if your in a pitching crisis. As Jon has mentioned, we just need to get to the break, and in many ways we can regroup. But it would be foolish to think we couldn't use more runs now, and many teams have trouble scoring runs when they get a lead like this.

I swear...Juan Pierre starts his at-bats with 2 stikes.

So what are the chances the Dodgers will give up four homers to Bonds in the next series?

Before the season, Hu was rated as the Dodgers' 11th-best prospect by Baseball America. Ivan DeJesus, Jr. was rated #6.

DeJesus is 20, and putting up a pretty good .278/.368/.366 at Inland Empire (Low Class A).

Hu, 23, is having a breakout year with AA Jacksonville, .329/.390/.508, but he is repeating in that league.

Will Hu still be rated above DeJesus in next year's Baseball America Prospect Handbook? My guess is DeJesus will still be higher, but Hu's improvement this year certainly gives the Dodgers a nice problem to have.

155 Wouldn't that be ironic... I remember Al Downing pitching up the homerun ball to Henry Aaron.

Yay. Buehrle signs deal with Sox. That means we won't trade for him now, right?

158 Right! Now we'll trade for Matt Morris instead.

156 Hu's improvement this year certainly gives the Dodgers a nice problem to have.

I do not believe anyone has enjoyed that same problem which the Dodgers have had this year with Nomar/Loney and Pierre/Ethier/Kemp.

Hochevar is pitching right now. He looks dishonest.

Hochevar is pitching in the Future's Game.

Damn you Shimmin!

156
It was brought to our attention that Hu's stats are very luck based.

Hoche-mama

161 Hochevar has what scouts call the "Bad Face"

159 When was the last Dodgers-Giants trade? There has to have been one since Jackie Robinson was traded to the Giants after 1956, right?

Dear Omar Minya:

Yes. I do know. No need to keep asking. I know. Okay?

Steve Phillips is either paranoid, or knows something I don't know. Is there some movement to purge all the international players from MLB?

someone posted a diary on minorleagueball.com saying that Hu said in an interview for Taiwan media that his right eye was blurred all year last year and ruined his ability to see the ball properly at the plate.

who's improvement?

164, 156 But the cynical nature of that "bringing to our attention" was almost historical. If true, I think it can be very much moderated.

167
The Dodgers traded Candy Maldonado to San Francisco for Alex Trevino in 1985.

In 1968, the Dodgers sent the Giants Ron Hunt and Nate Oliver for Tom Haller.

(sorry, i'm in a weird mood)

I would also add that trades between the Dodgers and Giants were much more common when the teams were in New York. I think geographic proximity helped out a lot and the fact that there were fewer teams.

DeJesus seems to have pretty good patience at the plate. 63 BB in ~550 PA last year, and 39 BB thus far this year in ~325 PA. Not bad for a (19 &) 20-year-old.

I believe I am the last person here still watching the Dodgers-Marlins game.

I'm flipping back and forth. There's only one more inning in the futures game and Kershaw still hasn't pitched. And it looks like the US team has five pitchers available, so he may not throw at all.

I am watching Dodgers game and Futures Game.

177 I'm still watching the game, but inspired by Mark Joseph in 148 I'm watching the game on mute while listening to "Blonde on Blonde".

Six strikeouts in 5 innings for Hendy. He's thrown a lot of first-ball strikes, I've noticed.

177 I'm watching the Dodgers, still.

Vin says that it looks like Martin is done for the day. I'm glad. I think the Dodgers should be more careful about limiting his innings.

I believe Kershaw is supposed to pitch the 7th.

I can't watch any baseball game if Steve Phillips is the "analyst." I was told to avoid bleeding out of my ears.

180 I do that when I watch sports events not involving Vin Scully.

Formula for success:

1) Start Hendy on 3 days rest
2) Score 8 runs in first 2 innings

Look for 17 or 18 2nd half starts from Hendrickson!

Countdown to The Minotaur is ON.

I'm still watching the D's game. By the way, where is the futures game, anywhere on DTV or network.

The Futures Game is on ESPN2.

I'm hoping that Stults can go for the 4-inning save.

Martin ends his stellar 1st half hitting .306/.374/.492, with 51 runs and 60 RBI. The AVG, SLG, HR, and RBI all lead the team, and he is only one behind Pierre for the team lead in runs. Bravo, Russ.

Bases loaded with 0 outs. Please don't make this one a ballgame again.

190 I'm hoping that Stults can record an out.

Grady should be ready to use all our relievers except Tomko today.

190 Wilson Alvarez was the last Dodger to get a 4-inning save, in a 5-2 win over the Indians in 2003.

If I remember correctly, this was the game on Fox when Paul LoDuca yelled at Milton Bradley for un-velcroing his batting gloves after hitting a HR. I also remember Thom "soapbox" Brennaman lauding LoDuca for it.

http://tinyurl.com/2qau2k

Amazing Martin.
Thanks Bob; got it
Please crack down on this game right now.
Keep changing pitchers till you find someone hot. Hopefully before 7 runs given up.

Kershaw's pitching now.

KERSHAW!!

Kershaw gives up a homer on a terrible swing.

And Kershaw gives up a HR.

Why did I feel that was going to happen?

Kershaw's a bum. I wonder if we could get Trachsel for him.

Kershaw is MASSIVE.

heck of a job.

Now Kershaw gives up a walk.

He really seems to be struggling with his control lately. His pitch location was even worse when I saw him pitch on the 4th.

Kershaw shows off the great curve and his day is done.

he'll be good, just needs to harness his stuff.

Prior to Jae Seo's non-save save last year, the last pitcher to throw the final three innings of a win and not get credit for a save was Shane Reynolds back in 1994.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN199407040.shtml

It looks like it only happened a handful of times (<10) since the save rule was implemented in 1969.

208- He was sitting at 95 on the SF gun. That's like 89 anywhere else. Look, I'm not any happier about it than anybody else, but Kershaw is done. His chances of even making the big leagues, much less making any impact, are now, effectively, zero. Time to cut bait.

feel free to focus on Stultz working out of that bases-loaded 0 out jam with minimal damage :)

Or we can rip him for getting into the jam in the first place.

So it's Kershaw, Betemit, and who for Cabrera?

209- Pff. You must have little girl hands. I could hold thirty non-saves, in my hands, no problem.

Did anyone catch the rather incredulous fan before Kershaw got his walk? Apparently they thought Kershaw struck the dude out. I assume this because I heard 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME' about 3 times in the background.

213
At first I thought he was ripping on the ump, but then I thought maybe he was ripping on Kershaw for being a Dodger prospect.

Kershaw looks to me like he may be a great Dodger who has that rare quality of longevity.

Sitting at a cafe for a little bit, following the game on Gameday.

213 I wonder if that was Toy Cannon? ;-)

Looks like Stults and Hendy have done a pretty solid job today. The added run support obviously helps, but still, they did better than the pitchers in the previous two games.

Is it folly to praise this Marlins pitcher?

Ahh. A nonveiled wish for the D's to trade some prospects.

Anything new on the Bison, btw? Definitely just a pulled hammy? Good to have the break coming up for that, too.

Vin just said a mild hamstring strain for Kemp.

219 Marlins announcers said Kemp had a strained hamstring but it didn't sound serious.

Of course, the D's should be looking to trade some vets, which is only possible to desparate big market teams. The small market teams can only survive by getting prospects, and being paranoid, I'm sure there is pressure to make big M teams trade prospects throughout mangement. Starting with Bud!

Thanks. That's a relief. Did I mention this all-star break can't come soon enough?

217 was meant to be a play on words about this book:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/erasmus/folly.html

No save for Stults.

Goodbye save opportunity.

The Marlins have made at least 140 pitches, not that we have done a lot better. Good time to check out this Taiwan guy. ( Sorry I can't remeber his name--starts with Chin Sao?

Tsao.

Chin-Hui Tsao.

Just so. I mean Tsao

And thats about as good as Hu's at short. Not very.

So are the fans in the stadium cheering the jerks who ran on the field or the security staff?

Uh oh. Who's injured now?

See above.

Oh God. *That's the "on field delay"? Sheesh.

I hope they didn't show them on TV.

Gen3Blue = Bill Singer?

Vin does not like people running on the field one bit.

231 I'd like to think the fans are cheering the fact that the security staff gets much-needed training for practicing their sworn duty when Brett Tomko next steps on the field.

Not quite, thank god, but I'm that old.

Well, the one game I'd assume we'd lose of the three is the one game we won. Shows you how much I know! Nice job by Bigfoot and Stults, and Tsao in for the un-save. I'm relieved the Dodgers can go into the break with a one-game winning streak.

239 Amen to that. And to rest for Kemp,all pitchers and maybe even Martin, if he keeps his head low in San Fran.

Billingsley vs. Cain on Friday night in SF. Any San Franciscan Dodger fans want to join me for our own small DT night? I can check Clist for tickets, perhaps.

Sometimes I wish I lived in California.

241
I am intrigued. I will have to think about it.

241- You don't think they're going to reset, and run Penny or Lowe out there on Friday?

Hmm, only tickets via Giants.com left are SRO seats for 20. Standing room might be fun - for about 2 innings.

244 I dunno, possibly. I just now Billingsley is currently listed as starter for Friday. Guess I can check back in a couple of days.

"just know" that is. Okay, time to leave this cafe and get on with the rest of the day. Check back with y'all later.

I did not know they charge people for standing.

I have to imagine Lowe is starting Friday...

I might be able to make this SF Dodger Thoughts meet, too.

The next time the Dodgers go to SF will be in September. I'd be down for going then also.

ESPN is running an interview with Ladanian Tomlinson promoting the upcoming Espy awards. As a backdrop, however, the Braves/Padres game is on.

It's sort of like when Vin Scully goes silent and lets the picture tell the story. Except in this case, the pictures are forced to tell the story because the announcers are talking about something else entirely.

Congratulations to Chin-Lung Hu for winning the Futures Game MVP today.

241

Hi I am a longtime Dodger fan living in SF and also a big fan of this site. I am just coming off orthoscopic surgery, so am not sure about the game, but if some people get together at a bar before the game would love to meet you. My email is louis99@wans.net..Sure you know about Craigs list have had good luck in getting seats on the site

Yes, a big congratulations to Hu.

254 Let us know if there are any Russ sightings in the City?

255
I need to know where Russ Ortiz is at all times.

its safe to say that Russ Martin has exceeded every expectation I had of him this year. Honestly, i was expecting something like 280/350/440 with around 14hr from him. He just exploded and it was a joy to watch.

I might have found tickets to All-Star game.

258
If you go, you have to keep score and properly keep track of all the lineup changes.

I did it back in 1980.

258

You also have to give me a ticket.

260
I can also provide therapy for you after the game when you realize how uninteresting an All-Star Game is to watch.

I don't like games in which the Padres are trailing 5-1 entering the bottom of the 9th.

padres are really annoying me. just lose already please!

No problem.

Dodgers enter the break, 1 game down in the West and 2 games up on the Braves in the Wild Card.

Marcus Giles: still a Brave at heart.

Young Mr. Giles used some foul language at the end there.

266

i would too, that didn't look like a strike.

James Loney effectively took over 1B on June 22 (a few games before Nomar moved to 3rd in Arizona, but it includes Nomar's flu in Tampa Bay)

Small sample size for sure, but over the 16 games the team has hit .305/.376/.438, and averaged 4.88 runs/gm.

In the 72 games prior, the club hit .260/.329/.381, and averaged 4.35 runs/gm.

The increase in runs is almost entirely due to batting average. The team has shown essentially the same patience and a slight increase in power.

Billingsley is going to start on Friday.

http://tinyurl.com/24ao7b

270

a cain vs billingsley matchup is pretty awesome.

To start the 2nd half in SF:

Friday
Billingsley (5-0, 3.62, 121 ERA+) vs Matt Cain (3-9, 3.53, 121 ERA+)

Saturday
Brad Penny (10-1, 2.39, 183 ERA+) vs Matt Morris (7-5, 3.55, 121 ERA+)

Sunday
Derek Lowe (8-8, 3.12, 140 ERA+) vs Noah Lowry (9-6, 3.35, 128 ERA+)

Too bad we miss Zito.

258

Have any extras?

272 And when you get lemons, make lemonade, that means short of some manuevering with the rotation due to Wolf coming back on the 19th off the DL, the Dodger Thoughts Day at Chavez Ravine will feature Mr. Mark Hendrickson starting against the Mets.

274 I'm holding out hope Wolf is ready to go on July 19. If that is the case, Penny & Lowe would get an extra day each, meaning we get Lowe on DT day. But it's all up in the air at this point.

Could be worse...in the LA Times article I linked to, Little hinted that Tomko has a chance to start on July 17 vs. Philly.

274
So who will be bringing the Taser to keep the crowd in line?

It is doubtful that Bonds could break the big record against the Dodgers next weekend.He however returns to Dodger stadium on July 31 thru August 2 .
Happy 47th birthday to old friend Mike 'd outfielder' Ramsey !

276 My money is on Shimmin. I picture a desk drawer at his office like Dwight Schrute's weaponry drawer at Dunder Mifflin.

There is a decent chance the Mets will throw Mike Pelfrey or Dave Williams on DT day.

The Mets post-break rotation is:

El Duque
Maine
Glavine
Oliver Perez (if he's healthy enough)
Pelfrey or Williams

July 21 is the Mets' 10th game in 10 days following the break, so barring injury it should be Pelfrey or Williams.

Meloan needs to be promoted with Hu to AA. If Orenduff has two more dominate starts, I'd probably promote him too.

Orenduff's progression is good news for scott elbert who underwent the same type of exploratory shoulder surgery as orenduff.

142: Well played. Left our tongue a little too long on the acid charger last night, did we?
175: can't recall if it was an actual trade, or an outright purchase, but best might have been Sal "The Barber" Maglie in
'56. Went something like 13-6, with a no-hitter thrown in, after being, in the parlance of the day, "washed up" the season prior.
Egomaniac Vin did it again today, twice.
Honest mistakes in delivery (what human bean wouldn't lose his way a time or two in that avalanche of asides?) made helluva lot worse by attempts to cover up...
After reading Mike Downey in the Trib earlier in the day, kinda thought the Sox would find a way with Buehrle.
Cautionary tale: The Greatest Athlete- Hunter Ever Spawned (well, maybe a distant second to today's flavor, MMMMMiguel - five apologies, 142) has ridiculous numbers for the first half, and maybe not so coincidentally (considerin' all the outstandin' team finishes while he put up similars in Dallas) the Yanks have the best chance in a decade to be disqualified from even the first round of the Real Season (Two More, Comin' Atcha, 142).

Since I understand very little of what was typed in 281 except the part about Sal Maglie, I will say the Dodgers did not acquire Maglie directly from the Giants. He had been released from Cleveland.

272. I'm kind of surprised to see Billingsley get the first start of the second half. I expected the rotation to be juggled so that we would see Lowe, Penny and then Billingsley. I interpret this to mean they're expecting big things from Billingsley during our march to the pennant.

Pretty good article about prospect value by Dan Graziano w/ some very prospect positive quotes from Babu.

http://tinyurl.com/2s3or6

283 I don't think they're into "making statements". They've probably just calculated who they want for the Mets series, or are juggling things with respect to the date when they expect to know if/when Wolf is AOK to return, or some other timing to do with a new addition to the bullpen (or sending Hendrickson back there), or - most likely of all - when Penny can play after the All-Star game.

My tongue charger has integrated circuitry which prevents over-charging. It's really worth springing for that upgrade.

231. I cheered the take down, but I can't speak for the rest of the crowd. By the time the LAPD waltzed on to the field everyone was restrained which was disappointing as I had hoped the cameras turned away to give LA's finest the opportunity to do what they do best.

Now to rest my body scorched not from the rays of the sun, but rather the brilliant reflection of one Golden God.

I think bojangles is my dad. Or at least they are equally incoherent to me. It's an awesome name, nevertheless.

From the Register:

"Little is banking that Wolf will be ready for his next start in the rotation on July 21.

'We will need (to fill Wolf's spot) once for sure, but not twice,' Little said."

http://tinyurl.com/2bbujh

AT&T park is the best baseball stadium I've ever been in. Shame it is wasted on the Giants but I now have an inferiority complex when it comes to stadiums. DS is quickly becoming the also ran of parks in our Division.

Went to All-Star FanFest on Sunday and wore my DT shirt and my blue was lost in a sea of orange and black. Best part of the day was answering a question and getting picked as a contestant for a version of baseball jeopardy. I was roundly booed when I took the podium in my Dodger Blue but I got sweet revenge by winning the game and doing it by answering who had the last Giant No-Hitter(Ed Halicki). My prize was a Stuffed Dodger Snowman which I got to proudly carry around the rest of the day and into AT&T park for the futures game. Our young LHP let me down. After telling everyone why I spent 12 hours in a car in a 30 hour period just to see him pitch, he gave up a home run on his 1st pitch. Giant fans enjoyed that. Watching Justin Upton play against us for the next 5 years will not be a good thing for Dodger fans.

Did I mention how beautiful the park is.

289 For some reason, I always forget to check the OC Register for Dodgers news.

It was nice of Grady to plan ahead for us so we all know in advance the starter for DT day. :)

OT comment for the day. I had a pretty bad customer service at Dodger stadium this weekend. Has anyone noticed a change in the ethos of the staff these past few years, or has it always been there and this is my first run in with the law?

290. I still prefer Camden Yards, if you go during a non-Red Sox or Yankees game it is much less crowded than AT&T.

292
I'm surprised it took this long.

You can complain at 866-DODGERS

290 That's a great story, ToyCannon. It sounds like you had a good time. I went to the final two games of the regular season last year, in SF, including the playoff-spot clincher. That ballpark is outstanding. Before and after the game, I spent a good deal of time walking around and checking it all out.

I live in San Diego, and I still remember one time in college I walked into a sports bar deep into the 1996 season. I had a Dodger shirt, Dodger cap, and Dodger jacket on, and as soon as I walked in just about everyone in the place booed me. It was actually pretty cool.

Justin Upton looked scary good yesterday. Did Baseball America project him in RF (Carlos Quentin in LF) in their handbook? I don't remember.

AT&T is not as nice as PNC in this man's opinion.

I find it hard to walk around AT&T.

And it's in San Francisco. I like Pittsburgh more than San Francisco.

Yes, I'm serious.

290 - Way to go, TC!

292 - The law? Did your bad customer service include being thrown into the clink?

High fives, Toy! Was it fun cheering for Hu, too? I love AT&T Park too, except for the Giants playing there, and a few of the contrived quirks annoy me, but otherwise it's pretty gorgeous. There's plenty to do around there now, Bob, when were you last there? But to me the biggest advantage it has over Dodger Stadium (which I still find a magical place to see a game) is that you can get there directly by train and tram.

Hey, has anyone sat in the bleachers there? There are some tix available in that section, which wouldn't be ideal, and makes me wonder how well Dodger fans would be treated there, but cheaper and nice setting.

Wish I could've gone to the futures game yesterday but saw the highlights on TV at least. Tonight I'm thinking of sneaking down to the park to stand outside during the Derby.

Positive thought of the day: The Dodgers will absolutely not lose anytime in the next 4 days. Guaranteed! Enjoy it.

Pretty nice article on Yahoo about Russell Martin by Steve Henson.

http://tinyurl.com/ynlv86

1. I don't like the city of San Francisco on general principles.
2. AT&T Park has walkways that are too narrow.
3. It's full of Giants fans.
4. I don't like the city of San Francisco on general principles.
5. See 1 and 4
6. See 1, 4, and 5
7. See 1, 4, 5, and 6
8. See 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7
9. RF is too short.
10. McCovey Cove is not a cove.

Bob, if I were grading your paper, I would have to say you're being too vague. I still don't get what you don't like about San Francisco.

I think it's a great city. Lots of things to do, and they have a Little Italy. I rank Boston ahead of SF, but it's close.

301 I see. Well, I agree with #3 and #9. I let them slide on 10 (even if it's another one of those contrivances I mentioned).

302
A full listing of what I dislike about San Francisco and AT&T Park are too long for the comments.

I have a feeling it's not a completely rational dislike, or based on a bad experience, Daniel, but could be wrong.

300 - Swell: "I never admit I'm tired," he [Martin] says. "I could feel like I'm going to die and I'd tell them I'm fine."

304
I will write my San Francisco diatribe when I get home and post it on the Griddle.

297)

No, but it started with the security at the gate telling us not to walk around the lot too much or we might get kicked out, and it ended with a very big man coming out of an unmarked door to yell at me for even asking for the terms of my ticket plan contract. Just an overall bad experience from the start. I get the feeling they view all questions or concerns from fans as being extremely hostile towards their authority.

Underdog,

My first game at The Phone Booth was Dodgers-Giants from the bleachers. The fans were very polite. They even said "excuse me" when they walked in front of us.

This was quite bizarre, as I grew up having things thrown at me in Candlestick.

306 I didn't read that much into Martin's quote. Certainly you'd like players to be as open and honest as possible regarding their health and fatigue, and you'd like them to not be judged one way or another about it (or rather, the players should be encouraged to be open about their health).

But, part of a manager's job is to see through the "lies" and make tough decisions. Sure Grady has said he likes it when Martin is out there, but if Grady felt Martin needed a rest, he'd get a rest.

The second half will certainly be interesting, to see if Martin's production declines due to overuse or just general fatigue. My hunch is he is still young and can handle all the playing time, but we shall see.

Cool, Icaros, thanks. Can you see anything from there? Other than the outfielders' backsides? I guess I can bring my opera glasses.

The only time I went to Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park, I sat in the LF bleachers. The view was fine.

I noticed no open hostilities toward the Expos fans in attendance.

The Dodgers have 17 games in 17 days beginning Friday in SF. I'll set the over/under on Martin starts at one.

The Dodgers just finished a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, and Martin started 19 of them. He even appeared in the other game as well, catching the 9th inning of last Tuesday's 7-6 win over Atlanta. Over those 20 games, Martin hit .359/.425/.615 to close out his awesome "first half".

307 I look forward to reading that while drinking my Chardonnay from Sonoma and listening to the local NPR station tell us how great we are, after I go through three climate changes on the way home, give some spare change to ratty teens on Haight Street, and spend an hour looking for parking. :-P

I'll set the over/under on Martin starts at one.

I'm betting the over!

313 I meant the over/under on non-Martin starts.

I'd be an awful bookie.

315 I was using coaching logic, kind of like Red Auerbach used when creating the "6th man" concept. Sure, you're starting...on the bench!

311

It isn't bad. I saw Willy Aybar's first HR there. Actually, my dad did. I was getting an Orlando Cepeda Carribean Bowl.

318
AT&T Park had awful lines for food when I was there.

There's a preview.

I took a vacation day on 7/31 in case anything big happens. It might be tough to concentrate on work, har har.

Clay Davenport thinks the likeliest day for Bonds to hit 756 is either July 23 or 26 against the Braves in San Francisco.

I heard good things about the garlic fries at AT&T Park, but I think those are pretty commonplace now at ballparks. Anyway, I ordered some last season there, and they were soggy and not good.

I didn't notice any really long lines while I was there.

My friends and I are eating our saw dust now in preparation for the Right Field Pavilion on Monday, July 16th. I can already feel the nacho cheese in my veins.

321

hope so, i've heard Vinnie say he hopes he doesn't have to call Bonds 755 or 756 from what i remember, can you imagine?? it would probably be very awkward.

323
I've got some statins I can let you use.

The food lines on the club level were non - existent but then the stadium was 1/2 empty.
Getting a Ghirardelli icre cream sundae following a Gelato ice cream bowl sure beat a frozen malt or dipping dots.

I'm somewhat surprised San Franciscans didn't rig the online vote to name the "new" Seven Wonders of the World like they did with the All-Star voting.

Nomar needs to find his lost mojo

>>> "We see flashes of what he can do every once in a while," Little said. "Hopefully he can take these four days off and come back with what we're looking for - on a more consistent basis." <<<

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/articles/8384227.html

326- dippin dots are brilliant. i cant get enough of those things everywhere i go now...

328
Nomar Garciaparra has lost his mojo.

Just a minute ago he was a slugging superstar.

I guess Los Angeles minutes are longer than their New York counterparts.

328 You know things are bad when even the mainstream media starts comparing you to Juan Pierre.

328 "We see flashes of what he can do every once in a while"

Do they mean hot flashes?

--

The Gilroy Garlic Fries are pretty good, but dangerous - I went on garlic overload pretty quickly the first time I ate them. My g/f and I both had to steer clear for two days afterward, and keep windows open. As if she needed another reason to avoid going to a baseball game.

Hmm. I wonder where Russell Martin and Saito and Penny would hang out when in SF? I'll see if I can stalk at least one of them - they're all hard to miss.

"Are we winning," he asked. "Am I helping us win? That's all that matters."

Two homers in 308 at-bats?

"I don't care about those, either," he said. "I don't care if they go out or they don't go out."

I really hope I don't have to sit through a season-and-a-half of Nomar's career-end denial phase. This writer knows his stuff, labeling Pierre as the team's "professional out-maker," for example.

I want to compare the Dodgers combined starting pitching for this year to the Giants combined starting pitching. I looked on Baseball Reference but could only find individual stats or combined stats for all Dodgers pitchers (starting and relievers). Does anybody know a place where I can find these numbers?

Its Peavy vs. Haren, they have been announced as the starters, lineup quirks includes Bonds batting second and Russell Martin batting 7th, ahead of Utley.

333

Do you think Martin might end up at one of the city's many crepe restaurants?

This writer knows his stuff, labeling Pierre as the team's "professional out-maker," for example

The article (I didn't read the whole thing) is a strange mixture of knowing stuff and not knowing stuff. As you point out, the article references the low OBPs of Pierre and Nomar. But it also uses Nomar's .307 BA and 19 RBIs in April as evidence that he still had his mojo and was still a slugging superstar.

338

Well, you have to make the best of what you're given when you walk the streets of Clueless Land.

335 Go to ESPN.com, MLB section, Statistics, Team Pitching and then filter using Starters.

At the ASB
LA 34-32 4.07 515.0 233ER 180BB 405K .262BAA
SF 31-33 4.07 537.0 243ER 237BB 369K .253BAA

Dan Patrick finally made his big announcement. He is leaving ESPN August 17th.

341 To host The Price Is Right?

337 Hm, perhaps. SF doesn't have a French Quarter or a French Canadian Town, so I can't try there, but there are some good creperies. Or perhaps Russ will head to one of the jazz clubs. Or maybe he's just looking for babes. Who knows!

342 He swears he has nothing lined up yet. Hard to believe that but that is what he says.

Dan Patrick's still at ESPN? was my reaction, after I yawned. ;-)

Russ is on the Patrick show right now. He says he didn't vote for himself and hasn't read the SI article (just looked at the pictures).

Dan Patrick to Russell Martin:

What do you tell your friends and family about getting you to the All-Star Game?

"I told them to vote a lot."

You gotta love Russell.

I was on the same elevator with Dan Patrick once, for the 5 seconds we rode upk, he seemed pretty nice, tall too.

If you aren't a fan of Fire Joe Morgan, their latest post is pretty ripe for mockery. You can

A) Watch them actually trust ESPN's park factors.
B) Use only half a season's worth of park factor data in making judgments (it's suggested you use three years worth of data in this manner)
C) See them refer to Texas and Houston as a pitchers parks.

I've tried to avoid mocking bad columns in recent times, but those guys pretty much deserve it.

The future of the Futures

Chin-Lung Hu, Dodgers

>>> What his future holds: Known mostly for his defense heading into this season, Hu has hit .325 at Double-A Jacksonville by doing exactly what he did today: taking advantage of his small strike zone (he's listed at 5'10" but is probably shorter) to force the pitcher to throw him something that he can knock onto the outfield grass. Hu is not particularly young nor is he likely to hit for power, so maintaining high batting averages will be the key, but his defense will give him some margin for error.

Best-case scenario: Rafael Furcal.

Worst-case scenario: Cesar Izturis. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2k54m5

349
I'm a big fan of FJM. That being said, the latest entry isn't one of their best. I think they've had a hard time finding good material lately, and have been trying too hard to make not-so-bad articles look worse than they are.

What is the best rum in the world that would be available at a high end liquor store in Los Angeles or San Francisco?

I have been sitting in my season seats on reserved level for 5 years now, occasionally going downstairs when i stumble upon better tickets by chance. Others have mentioned on here before that they can sneak down in to loge, etc but i have yet to figure it out. any hints for me? thanks

352 Definitely go for Prestige. You can just tell by the name that it's quality.

Actually, don't do that, it's the crappiest alcohol you can buy and only costs $10 for a handle.

348
You could ride a elevator with me and you'd likely have the exact same impression.

I don't know my rums, but googling it, I've come across these:

Wray & Nephew
Metusalem
Rhum Clement VSOP
Cruzan Single Barrel
El Dorado
Mount Gay Extra Old
English Harbor
Neisson Rhum
Pusser's Navy Rum
Pyrat XO
Rhum Barbencourt
Santa Teresa
Zacapa Centenario

A good liquor store like Red Carpet in Glendale, or Mission Liquor in Pasadena will have most if not all of those.

The future of the Futures

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

>>> What he did today: Lacked command over his 95-mph fastball and yielded a home run and a walk in two-thirds of an inning. Nevertheless, I was more impressed with Kershaw than I was with Buchholz, perhaps because of my preference for pitchers that work quickly. In contrast to Buchholz's contemplativeness on the mound, Kershaw is constantly ready to attack.

What his future holds: In some respects, Kershaw's performance today represented his season in microcosm; he has struck out 103 batters in 76 innings, while also yielding 41 walks. But the home run he allowed was an unusual result; he's given up just one homer in his professional career. Kershaw needs to find a way to settle down on the mound without sacrificing his aggressive, intimidating approach. At age 19, he'll have plenty of time to sort that out.

Best-case scenario: Pre-injury Francisco Liriano.

Worst-case scenario: Post-injury Kerry Wood. <<<

http://tinyurl.com/2k54m5

Liquor: Bob's lone weak subject...?

358
Ken Jennings couldn't answer sports questions, so we're even.

355 Gee Bob, you don't write tall.

My impressions of Pac Bell (that's what it was when I went there) are clouded by:
1. Someone stole a souviner from under our seats during the first game we went there.
2. Bonds hit home runs 71 and 72 but the Dodgers stomped the Giants in the longest 9 inning game in Dodger/Giant history.
3. Poor Willie Mays had to stay to almost 1:00 a.m. for a post game ceremony honoring Bonds.
4. All public transportation was no longer available due to the lateness of game and the cabs were all taken so my friend and I walked from the ballpark to Japantown where we were staying.
5. Fans were upset the next day because Bonds did not play but the Dodgers won again so we were happy.

The park, like Coors, Chase and PetCo is very nice, small, nice team store. The garlic scent permeates the park moreso than other ballparks that serve those fries.

Fans (aside from the ones who stole the toy we bought) were nice, no one threw anything at us despite us wearing Dodger gear.

I do like San Francisco but I am never there for more than 3 days at a time so I have only small sample sizes to judge it from.

NL Starting Lineup:

Jose Reyes, SS
Barry Bonds, LF
Carlos Beltran, CF
Ken Griffey Jr., RF
David Wright, 3B
Prince Fielder, 1B
Russell Martin, C
Chase Utley, 2B
Jake Peavy, P

AL Starting Lineup:

Ichiro Suzuki, CF
Derek Jeter, SS
David Ortiz, 1B
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Vladimir Guerrero, RF
Magglio Ordonez, LF
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Placido Polanco, 2B
Dan Haren, P

My hopes of going to the All-Star game have been dashed.

The NL lineup is odd.

Presumably Tony La Russa wants to make it easier for Bonds to get two at bats during the game before he gets taken out.

361 I have no facts to back this up, but the lineup does appear to be younger then usual, aside from a few vets (Griffey and Bonds).

Will there be a Fungoes post today?

Dodger All-Star MVPs:

Piazza, 1996
Garvey, 1978
Sutton, 1977
Garvey, 1974 (write-in vote from fans)
Wills, 1962 (2nd game)

No reliever has ever won AS MVP, so Takashi Saito's chances are slim.

The only time there was an MVP awarded for an All-Star Game in SF, a catcher won the award (Gary Carter, 1984).

366 I was going to ask this as well but I didn't want to seem too desperate (read: bored at work).

352.

Regarding good rum, I would recomend Mount Gay (12 year) or Appleton Estate (12 year or 18 year). Both should be available at any high end liquor store, the Appleton 18 year should come in a nice box, which is good if you are planning on it being a gift.

4 of the 8 NL position starters are the NL OPS leaders at their positions.

1 of the AL players is the same, though Ortiz and Ordonez are the leaders at their regular season positions.

heard Russell Martin today on ESPNRadio they asked him if he voted for him self witch he replied no & judging by how many votes he won over Paul Lo Duca i tend to believe him. After that he went into cliche mode but it was a nice interview.

366 - All Fungoites are posting half-season summaries on Wednesday.

365
Reyes- young star; been around a while but still young
Bonds- superstar in twilight of his career; putting up huge numbers at an age where 95% of players have retired already
Beltran- star veteran player in prime of his career
Giffey- former superstar well past his prime but still having an all-star season
Wright- star player, still young, still hasn't reached arbitration
Fielder- up and coming player having his first all-star caliber season
Martin- same as Fielder
Utley- suprised to see how old he is; star in prime of his career

The AL lineup on the other hand is made entirely of veterans.

369 Thanks for the info. I'll go with Appleton since my family is from Appleton, WI.

356
I used to live down the street from Red Carpet. My cousin worked there for a little while. 30 years ago it was the best liquor store in Glendale but I had no idea it still existed.

I never thought Magglio Ordonez would ever play in another all-star game.

367
Baseball-Reference has the MVPs for the two 1962 All-Star games transposed. Wills was the MVP for the first game and Leon Wagner was the MVP for the second game.

372 Fungoans, Jon. Fungoans.

[\RonBurgundy]

I mentioned in 367 that no reliever had won AS MVP. There have been six pitchers to win MVP, by my quick count, and five of them started the game. The only non-AS-starter to win (co-)MVP was Jon Matlack, who was in fact a starting pitcher but pitched in relief in the 1975 AS game.

379
I still remember Bowie Kuhn saying "Our MVPs tonight are Matlack and Madlock."

I also recall Red Schoendienst getting hit in the backside with an errant throw while coaching third.

380 Is that the second greatest All-Star incident involving a 3rd base coach?

First place, of course, belongs to Lasorda getting knocked over by Vladimir Guerrero's (?) bat.

380 - Andy Griffith was looking for a series around that time - they just needed a name.

380 I hear Andy Griffith was in attendance that night and a light bulb went off in his head when he heard "Matlack and Madlock", much like when Reese's combined chocolate and peanut butter.

382 27 seconds!!

372 Thank you Jon. I think its nothing short of wonderful that you are always here to answer our questions when they arise. You never forgot the little people.

382/383.

Wow. How quickly can you go from feeling proud of yourself for a clever joke to feeling embarrassed for making what must have been an obvious joke.

To be fair, I went through that, and all I did was read both comments. Laughed at Jon's cleverness, then felt embarrassed that I was amused by something that Eric proved to have been obvious.

Either that, or brilliant minds think alike, and less brilliant ones laugh at their thoughts.

386 - Moral: I'm brilliant; Eric's a hack.

Oh, I didn't consider the possibility that Eric read Jon's comment, and managed to type his own in 27 seconds minus the time it took to do the reading. A really fast plagiarist. Yeah, that's it.

351 Their Joe Morgan chat breakdown from last week was so funny. This was my favorite part:

"He plays the game the right way,"

And presumably, Alex Rios and Carl Crawford are (jerks) who disrespect the game. The other day I saw Rios make two plate appearances swinging a Fender Stratocaster instead of a bat. It was incredible. Fouled out both times.

375 -

Allow me to suggest Sailor Jerry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Jerry

http://www.sailorjerryrum.com/history.php

Great rum. Great stories.

Rum is for pirates. I drink whiskey.

386,387,388 It took me 28 seconds to type the brackets so my link would work! I strive for link accuracy.

Can you click on the post number in Jon's post (382) and immediately zoom the 0.4 inches to 380? I didn't think so.

I take no offense in being called a plagiarist hack, however. :)

I'm a tequila man nowadays.

Red Carpet Liquor is still the best liquor store in Glendale, if a bit pricey. I used to live close to it too thirty years ago.

My favorite liquor store is still Mission Liquors on Washington in Pasadena. They have over 120 high-end tequilas. They have every single-barrel bourbon you can think of. If you're a scotch drinker, and I don't hold that against you, there are hundreds of those too. Very nice wine cellar too.

They don't seem to care much about beer.

391. I used to think that whiskey was the only English word that my grandfather knew, until I found out that it's whiskey in Spanish too.

391 In the words of the Sea Captain, "Y'ar. She blows."

No Russell Martin sightings today so far. Maybe he'll be at the post office when I go there later. Um, yeah.

Y'ar, I've killed a thread.

396 At least you aren't a plagiarist!

This pirate talk reminds me of one my favorite jokes, which I hope isn't considered a Rule 1 violation:

A pirate walks into a bar, and the bartender says to him, "Hey buddy, do you know you have a steering wheel attached to your belt buckle?"

The pirate replies, "Aye, it's driving me nuts."

393 Thanks I'll check that out. I'm a bourbon guy for sure. I usually just drink Knob Creek or Makers Mark. I'd like to try something new.

396
The bartender then asks about the paper towel the pirate has for a hat.
The pirate replies, "Aye, there's a bounty on my head."

Hee. I always love that joke in 397.

Another Hu/What/Where report, this from Sporting News' Frank Neville:

"SURPRISE STARS

Chin-Lung Hu, SS, Dodgers. In a game loaded with big hitters, Hu, a defensive whiz, was probably the least likely candidate to be the game's offensive difference-maker. However, when the dust settled at AT&T Park, it was the Taiwan-born Hu, 23, who was hoisting the game MVP for his 2-for-2, two-RBI performance. A slick fielder with great hands, outstanding range and a good arm, Hu told me that his goal for 2007 was improvement at the plate. Hu's extra work in the cage has paid dividends this year at Double-A Jacksonville, where he is hitting .329/.380/.508 after struggling to hit .254/.326/.334 at the same level last year. While he'll never hit for power, Hu's strike-zone discipline and inside-out swing allow him to spray line drives up the middle and to the opposite field. Continued success with the bat could get Hu a promotion to Triple-A this year and maybe an audition to be Rafael Furcal's replacement when the latter's contract ends in 2009."

http://tinyurl.com/2oylxa

399 refers to 397

4 of the 8 NL position starters are the NL OPS leaders at their positions.

1 of the AL players is the same, though Ortiz and Ordonez are the leaders at their regular season positions.

Uh, 402 was a mistake. That was weird.

Anyway, what I was trying to say:

The bartender asks the pirate what kind of cookies he's eating.
The pirate replies, "Chips Ahoy, Matey!"

Leave it to pirate jokes to give new life to an old and nearly dead thread.

Someone should come up with a joke along the lines of, "Jim Tracey walks into a Pirate Bar and says…"

404 and says... "Do I wish I could be in a better bar? Sure. Do I wish I didn't need to drink as much? Of course."

I submitted a list of dumb Tracey quotes to The Soul of Baseball blog.

398 Bakers is my favorite bourbon at the moment.

Bakers is my favorite bourbon at the moment.

Uh, maybe you've been drinking too much of it.

Bakers?

407 Here's a link, my little friend from up north

http://www.queenannewine.com/bakbourwhisu.html

It's Jim Tracy, no 'e', but I look forward to seeing the favorite quotes published! Y'ar he blows.

408

Well, you were responding to a Makers Mark comment. How was I supposed to know that there really is a Bakers?

Josh R has a new post on ItD about the All-Star doings today, which included this anecdote: "After the media availability, the players, families and schmoes like me were upstairs in a private area and Ichiro and Saito got a chance to catch up. I didn't understand a word they were saying, but it was obvious when they ran into each other the mutual respect they show for one another, which is an incredible thing about the Japanese culture."

Saito: How can we get you to play with the Dodgers?
Ichiro: But don't you already have Pierre?
Saito: {laughs} {cries}
Ichiro: Perhaps, next year?

{They exchange phone numbers.}
And... scene.

Vanity Fair has come out with their top 10 Simpsons episodes.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/08/top10simpsons200708?currentPage=2

412
You should probably toss that one out at Screen Jam where we all can have at it.

Those choices are not the 10 best. But some are among my top 10.

412 There are also two other Simpsons related articles in that issue, a nice interview with Conan O'Brien about his Simpson days and a roundtable of sorts with several snippets of quotes from various people around the Simpsons and Fox Studios.

412 That list is off for so many different reasons (four).

413 I agree, let's just say that any top ten list that does not include Chim-pan-A to Chim-pan-Z does not make it my book.

412

I have some major disagreements with that list. "Girly Edition" (aka Kidz Newz...where Homer gets Mojo, the helper monkey) is my all-time fave.

413 I just did

Post up top. Is it new? You be the judge.